BMW i3 Owners Hack Software to Fit Extra 1/2-Gallon of Gas - Car and Driver (blog)
Since its gasoline-powered range is roughly equal to its electric-only range—78 miles on fuel, 72 on battery, per the EPA—the Golden State considers the car a zero-emission vehicle. Green Car Reports writer John Voelcker brings us the story of some frustrated i3 owners, who’ve apparently unlocked the extra half-gallon of fuel capacity and some additional capabilities using a software cheat code being shared on BMW forums. According to these hackers, the software is the only thing holding back that extra half-gallon, which amounts to around 20 extra miles by forum users’ reckoning. Other functions that the hacky BMW fans have been able to unlock include a “hold battery charge” mode that conserves battery energy by relying more heavily on the gasoline engine, a feature that’s enabled on European-market i3s and meant to be... The hackers have also figured out how to enable AM radio, a feature that’s available on Euro-market cars but suppressed in U. S. models due to “negative performance influences of the electromagnetic interference of the electric drivetrain,” as a... The Philosophy of the BMW i3’s Interior Design BMW i3 vs. Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive BMW i3 News, Reviews, Photos, Buyer’s Guide, and More Of course, poking around in the inner workings of a complex hybrid vehicle’s. Source: blog.caranddriver.com
